Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is calling for a special session of the State Legislature to address a civil-unions measure after a filibuster by House Republicans made it impossible to vote on it by the end of the regular session yesterday.

In an emotional address, Hickenlooper (right) said depriving gay couples the right to form civil unions was “depriving people of their civil rights.”

“I spent a long time in the restaurant business,” Hickenlooper said. “A lot of people who helped us create that business didn’t have the same amount of rights as everybody else.

“I had a call yesterday from one of them just to ask, ‘If not now, when?’ “

Of course, there’s no guarantee the civil-unions bill wouldn’t face similar stalling tactics in a special session: Even though Democrats said they had enough support to pass it, Republicans control the House 33-32.

House Speaker Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch)—who has frequently and erroneously called SB 172 a gay-marriage amendment—has been targeted as the architect of the bill’s demise. Responding to Hickenlooper’s statement on Wednesday, McNulty said, “If the governor chooses to take up gay marriage as part of his special session call, then the governor has the right to do that.”

No start or end date for this special session has been announced, though the Governor’s office said more details would be forthcoming.

It says a lot that he was willing to call a special section of Congress. Rather this will end with civil unions or not, only time can tell, but it still says a great deal that this happened.

May 10, 2012 at 11:30 am · @Reply ·

JAW

You got to love him for that… Let the Republicans filibuster all summer long… It will cost the state a lot of money in overtime etc… They will cave… and the vote will happen… and it appears that it will pass.

May 10, 2012 at 1:04 pm · @Reply ·

J Stratford

The longer this drags on, the better are Obama’s chances in CO.

Dumb republicans in the statehouse. Smart republican governor. He sees the writing on the wall. The people are behind it. His political survival in the long run depends on it. If it doesn’t go through this time, it will be a more messy vote for real gay marriage next year.

And with a soon to be newly reelected President Obama, who will win CO convincingly, hmm… .

May 10, 2012 at 3:31 pm · @Reply ·

1equalityUSA

Sterile couples produce no children. As long as some Americans are entitled to secular, contractual rights and benefits withheld from other Americans, inequality exists and cannot be supported. Intolerance and bigotry towards us is dying a slow death. The last gasps of a dying NOMmonster. Gather ’round people, are you starting to catch on? NOM-nutters may be able to draw some sheep into their exclusive crusade, just as any hate instigators can, but soon they will be shelved, like that dusty jar in biology class, the one with the aged patina and little NOM-flecks sinking into silt below. NOMsters, floating in formaldehyde with the label, “extinct species” crustily glued to the jar. Young Americans will sneak furtive glances at this jar and ogle. I hope you and Robert P. George like the smell of formaldehyde. You are going extinct.

May 10, 2012 at 3:49 pm · @Reply ·

badtungsten

@J Stratford: Gov. Hickenlooper is NOT a Republican. He’s a Democrat, and a very good one at that.

May 10, 2012 at 5:19 pm · @Reply ·

Mikel D McGrew

I hope he makes them stay in session until the bill is debated and voted on! McNulty is a pompous ignoramous, a panderer and charlton. In other words, he is a Repulsican.